Nuclear medicine has developed significantly within the last decades and currently aids healthcare professionals in diagnostic search and treatment. With the help of nuclear innovations, the total imaging of a human body with the help of PET and MR machines became possible and available. Radioisotopes are effectively implemented in various therapeutic applications of benign and malignant thyroid pathologies, neuroblastoma, different types of lymphomas, neuroendocrine tumors, paraganglioma, and prostate cancer (Weber et al., 2020). To upgrade the skills and knowledge to use the systems, interpret the results of diagnostic tests, and successfully implement nuclear-containing treatments of patient’s diseases, healthcare personnel necessitates advanced practice (Tootell & Hogg, 2010). During such practice, the physician develops skills, level of knowledge, and higher order of decision-making that were not taught during basic professional training (Tootell & Hogg, 2010). As a result, advanced practice leads healthcare professionals to better patient treatment and detailed and rapid information received about human disorders.
Over the next 5-10 years, nuclear medicine has promising and various perspectives. As it was recently figured with cell-based therapies for prostate cancer (PSMA hitting CAR-T cells), more disorders could possibly be treated with radio therapeutical methods (Weber et al., 2020). A growing number of imaging biomarkers can increase the number of diseases in which special proteins will be targeted (Czernin et al., 2019). Moreover, developing technologies and machines that allow us to scan and analyze human bodies can open new opportunities and reduce the number of diagnostic operations (Nensa, Demircioglu & Rischpler, 2019). Non-invasive methods will always be more popular and preferred by patients than invasive methods. With further development of this branch of medicine, specialists might have the ability to take a degree as a radiographer or nuclear medicine technologists.
References
Czernin, J., Sonni, I., Razmaria, A., & Calais, J. (2019). The future of nuclear medicine as an independent specialty.Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 60(Supplement 2), 3S-12S.
Nensa, F., Demircioglu, A., & Rischpler, C. (2019). Artificial intelligence in nuclear medicine. Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 60(Supplement 2), 29S-37S.
Tootell, A., & Hogg, P. (2010). Advance practice–concepts, definitions, and education. European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, 37, S23.
Weber, W. A., Czernin, J., Anderson, C. J., Badawi, R. D., Barthel, H., Bengel, F., Bodei, L., Buvat, I., DiCarli, M., Graham, M. M., Grimm, J., Herrmann, K., Kostakoglu, L., Lewis, J. S., Mankoff, D. A., Peterson, T. E., Schelbert, H., Schöder, H., Siegel, B.A., & Strauss, W. H. The Future of Nuclear Medicine, Molecular Imaging, and Theranostics (2020). Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 61(Supplement 2), 263S-272S.